Incorporation of phosphogypsum with cement in rigid Pavement: An approach towards sustainable development

Abstract

Phosphogypsum is used in the chemical industry to produce phosphoric acid, a crucial ingredient in numerous types of fertilizers. To reduce environmental damage, numerous initiatives are seeking to include various types of solid waste in the concrete production process. Phosphogypsum, a by-product of an industry that is included in regular cement concrete, is the primary subject of this study. Phosphogypsum is a waste product from agricultural chemical and fertilizer production facilities. Phosphogypsum can be used as a partial replacement for cement in conventional concrete mixes, although its strength is diminished by the presence of impurities in the calcined material it contains. This experimental study suggests that phosphogypsum from industrial waste can be used as a cement substitute in concrete production. After 7 and 28 days, fresh and hardened concrete cubes of fresh concrete and hardened concrete were tested for compressive strength, flexural strength, water absorption, and workability, respectively. For the M25 design mix, a water-cement ratio of 0.45 was used, and phosphogypsum was added at 5 %, 7.5 %, 10 %, and 12.5 % to partially replace the cement. The most important result of this study is that maximum strength can be attained by replacing up to 10 % of the cement with phosphogypsum. The strength typically drops when more cement than this is utilized in the replacement.